Soo sorry this happened to you.
I felt sorry for an AirBNB host when making the decision to proceed with a rental. HUGE mistake!
15 days AFTER we messaged the same landlord that we had cleaned and checked-out of his distressed and structurally compromised flat in Pigalle (not Montmarte as he falsely claimed), so he could inspect the unit and rent it to someone else, a campaign of degrading messages from the landlord via AirBNB’s platform began.
The first message was sent at 2am our time 15 days AFTER we checked out. The landlord claimed the maid had visited the unit and complained about its cleanliness. He stated his old dated furniture was spotted, two tables were damaged with stains and/or burns, that the dishes and bathroom were left a mess, and that we had smoked in the unit. Neither of us are smokers.
Every one of his claims were untrue. He wasn’t demanding a response or money, he seemed to simply be complaining like an angry unbalanced wife and/or mother might, at her husband and/or children.
Over the next 4 days each morning at 2AM our time, I would receive degrading messages revisiting previous false accusations with the addition of one or two new ones. Again! no demand for communication or money.
I reached out to AirBNB to explain what was going on and to explain I could not respond directly to the landlord because the booking was arranged on my daughter’s phone and that she is not with me.
AirBNB looked at the situation and told me to disregard his harassing messages. They pointed out that his first message was sent to me 15 days after we notified him we had cleaned and departed his flat. They stated his time to file a claim had expired. Furthermore they pointed out he wasn’t asking for anything.
I sent AirBNB images of the flat he is marketing on their platform vs the state of the flat we received. It looked great online but it was either photoshopped or the images being used to market the flat were very old. Regardless, the landlord had violated AirBNB’s policy to maintain accurate images of his rental property online. The flat has serious structural issues and is potentially unsafe to occupy. Another violation of AirBNB’s policies.
When we saw this we questioned the landlord about our concerns. He stated he was embarrassed? He went on to say that it was a great unit located in a great neighborhood, and that if we proceeded with renting his flat, he would give us a credit. Because our time was not our own, the balance on my credit card would potentially be tied up for 14 days if we cancelled the booking, and because we did not have the time to look for another flat, we proceeded. Huge mistake.
We found the flat was under construction on the interior. A portion of this very small studio flat, under a giant gaping hole in the ceiling which dirt and dust intermittently cascaded from, was unusable.
When we arrived his maze yellow fabric furniture (a pullout couch and two chairs) were sitting uncovered in this structural construction mess. In his complaint he described his furniture as new, which it was not, and found dirty after we left. Again this was very dated, yellow fabric furniture we observed upon our arrival, that clearly was on its last leg. It appeared to have been cleaned previously and now has a grey cast to it. We never sat on his chairs.
We used the flat to store our luggage and to sleep during Paris Fashion Week. That was it. The only thing we used the refrigerator for was to store bottled water. He claimed the freezer was frozen solid. We never used his freezer. He claimed the dishes were found dirty and that his maid had to clean them. In a subsequent degrading message, he changed his story and claimed he had to wash them. We washed, dried and put them away, prior to check-out. He described his silverware as looking old. It IS old stainless steel silverware. The lists he provided were as if they had been drafted by a down on his luck financially strapped landlord having a garage sale to get money to buy toilet paper, Top Ramen and to pay his mortgage. He proceeded to send new additions to his list of complaints daily at 2AM my time.
First message
Cleanliness of the unit we cleaned just prior to departure and paid two separate cleaning fees for.
Spotted chairs (we did not use)
Spotted pullout couch (pulled out when we arrived and remained in that position for the duration of our stay)
Spots on walls (unit under construction and in serious disrepair. Cracks and marks everywhere)
Qtips found under the pullout (we don’t use Qtips)
Smoked in the unit (neither of us smoke)
Dirty dishes (washed, dried and put away)
Two spotted tables
A small rusty garbage can
All of this complaining but not asking for anything.
Second message
Dirty coffee pot (it was inoperable when we arrived, we bought and used a French press)
Dirty and/or damaged Teflon frying pan (We do not use teflon). Complaining but not asking for anything.
Third message
Complaining HE (not the maid) had to wash the dishes. Complaining but not asking for anything.
Fourth message
Asking why I wasn’t responding to him. I had been speaking with AirBNB ambassador’s daily. They told me to disregard his messages as he waited 15 days after we checked-out to first complain. They said his timing was suspect. At this point I thought he was mental and looking for cash but not saying it.
I spoke with AirBNb explaining my time is valuable, and pointing out every time I had to speak with them, I was required to type out long details outlining the dispute and defending myself in order to not have to concede to this down on his luck landlord’s cleaning and damages scam for cash.
From the beginning I had informed them I had cleaned the unit prior to departure, and advised them that this unit should had never been listed as a rental option on AirBNB in the first place, due to the structural risks inside the unit. I advised them that the landlord misrepresented his listing on AirBNB’s platform. I pointed out that no renter should be exposed to everything associated with his listing on AirBNB’s platform. From the structural risks to life and safety, including the dangers of the neighborhood (located not in Montmartre, but below, in Pigalle, Paris’s sex district. Women are gang raped there. He lied to us about the condition of the flat and the safety of the neighborhood. Furthermore he never provided the credit he promised if we proceeded with the rental, despite our cleaning the unit and paying two separate cleaning fees.
Fifth message
Asking for $430
Note to self! Take pictures of everything and immediately inform AirBNB if you see a spec of dirt, and if the landlord has misrepresented ANY detail of their rental on AirBNB’s platform. That’s a huge red flag things will only get worse. In addition to this, make sure to leave a warning review for other prospective renters immediately upon the cessation of your rental.
AirBNB did not do anything to stop the escalation of this mess despite being provided with details and pictures of the condition of the unit where were handed when the down in his luck first raised his money grubbing hand, 15 days AFTER we had been gone from his flat.
No renter should be shaken-down on AirBNB’s platform by a down on his luck landlord looking for dollars to make his next mortgage payment 15 days AFTER their rental has concluded!
